OIC calls for halting Israeli attacks against Palestinians

By Diana Shalhub

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called on the international community to intervene to halt Israeli attacks against the Palestinians.

In a statement, the 57-nation Muslim bloc "strongly condemned the daily escalations and crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people, their property and holy sites.”

The Jeddah-based grouping urged the international community and the UN Security Council "to exert pressure on Israel to compel it to abide by the principles of international law [...] to stop its dangerous attacks against the Palestinian people and their sanctities."

Tension has been building on across the Palestinian territories since the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, amid settler incursions into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem.

On Saturday, Israeli forces shot dead three members of the Islamic Jihad group near the West Bank city of Jenin.

A day later, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned that the Gaza Strip will “suffer pain” in case of escalation.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar